One of our favourite Kiwi films from last year The Last Saint, an independently financed New Zealand Feature film. The Last Saint, which spawned those famous words uttered by actor Calvin Tuteao “Ponsonby’s gone to the dogs” has started rolling out in international territories with its star, Beulah Koale, winning a Best Actor award at its first festival.
The Last Saint received its international premiere at the Harlem International Film Festival in New York where Koale’s performance in the gritty story of Auckland’s underworld received the Best Actor accolade
Last Saint director, Rene Naufahu said, ”Beulah is one of the most courageous young men I’ve ever met- and he uses this courage to maximum effect in his performance of Minka. He is not afraid to draw on fear, and show his sensitive side, and by combining that with a quiet strength and his ability to really listen gives the audience the chance to have empathy for him.”
The next international film festival for The Last Saint will be at imagineNATIVE, the world’s leading showcase for indigenous cinema, in Toronto in October. Following that, it will appear at the Hawaii International Film Festival, which is one of the leading Asia- Pacific film festivals in November.
The Last Saint has also sold to distributors in the UK and Germany and is soon debuting in Australian theatres through the TUGG platform.
“The film’s combination of drama, and crime elements coming from within the unique Pacific cultural environment of Auckland have certainly given it a good start in the international arena and we are hopeful of a long life for it,” said sales agent Timothy O’Brien of Oration Films.
Wal & Jarred pictured with ‘Pinball’ Joe & director Rene Naufahu at The Rialto NZ Film Awards